Chapter 14 - The Cave (1) (Rev.)

Huang Jin often contemplated whether his initial desire to keep people at a distance was due to selfishness or self-preservation. Deep down, he knew that his intentions were not inherently bad.

His mother had raised him with love and care until her untimely passing. She instilled in him the values of treating others with respect, kindness, and empathy. Huang Jin was taught never to oppress others and to show respect to people of all ages. He was encouraged to lend a helping hand to those less fortunate whenever possible.

However, as time went on, he learned that no matter how good-hearted he was, there would always be individuals with malicious intentions. Despite his best efforts to be good, some people would still try to hurt him or take advantage of his kindness. It was a harsh reality he had to face, but he remained determined to stay true to his mother's teachings and be a compassionate person regardless of the challenges he encountered.

Despite the trials and challenges of his past life, Huang Jin had no regrets, especially when it came to meeting Xun Wei. He felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the happiness he experienced with Xun Wei in this new life. All the painful memories and past hurts seemed insignificant compared to the love and joy he shared with Xun Wei.

As they continued their journey, Huang Jin found himself lost in his thoughts, reminiscing about the past. Unbeknownst to him, they had already arrived at the front of the waterfalls, hidden within which was the entrance to the cave.

"Ahjin, we're here," said Xun Wei.

However, since the river was not within close proximity, they needed to descend and swim directly towards the waterfalls.

"We have to get closer to the waterfalls. I need to check the cave hidden behind it," Huang Jin explained. He approached the riverbank and proceeded to remove his clothing and shoes before turning to face Xun Wei.

"Well, I was not prepared for the river to be present. Therefore, I didn't bring any equipment, and we'll have to swim to reach the waterfalls," Huang Jin explained to Xun Wei, motioning for him to join.

Xun Wei calmly followed Huang Jin's lead, taking off his clothes and shoes to join him in the water. As they made their way towards the waterfalls, navigating the steady flow, they eventually reached the back of the waterfalls. At the end of the waterfalls, Huang Jin stood in front of the wall, inspecting it closely.

"There's a barrier here, and it's not easily noticeable unless you examine it closely," Huang Jin explained as he gently patted the wall, attempting to decipher the array. He traced the matrix with his finger and carefully removed a piece of stone from the top corner of the wall.

As Huang Jin successfully cleared the wall, the array suddenly lit up, and the lines gradually vanished, revealing the entrance to the hidden cave. Excitedly, Huang Jin urged Xun Wei to join him. He grabbed a flashlight from his space and pointed towards the cave.

"I remember when I came here before. It took me about an hour to walk through the passage and reach the exit of the cave," Huang Jin said, eager to explore the hidden cave once again.

Hand in hand, they walked along the path until they reached the end of the cave, where a beautiful sight awaited them. Xun Wei was left astonished by what he saw. The walls of the cave were adorned with glowing stones of various colors—shades of blue, orange, yellow, green, and red.

The air felt fresh, and each breath brought a sense of comfort. In the middle of the cave, they noticed a large lake, and occasionally, fish would swim up to the surface. Floating in the middle of the lake were colorful rainbow rocks, creating a stunning sight.

Intrigued by something in the middle of the lake, Xun Wei drew Huang Jin's attention and pointed towards a stone that seemed to rise to the surface of the water.

"Ahjin, is that the rock you were looking for in the lake?" Xun Wei asked as he noticed the stone floating on the water's surface.

Xun Wei's eyes widened in surprise as he watched Huang Jin swim towards the stone in the lake. He recalled Huang Jin mentioning that it was the same stone he had picked up in his previous life. Curiosity piqued, he waited to see what would happen.

As Huang Jin got closer to the stone, the lake seemed to come alive, vibrating with energy. The stone glowed brightly, almost as if it recognized him. With each passing moment, the connection between Huang Jin and the stone grew stronger. Finally, as if guided by an unseen force, the stone moved towards him.

The stone trembled, and Huang Jin instinctively reached out for it. As he touched the stone, he felt a surge of warmth and energy. Without hesitation, he opened his mouth and swallowed the stone.

Xun Wei's eyes widened further, and he was about to call out to Huang Jin, but he stopped himself, realizing that whatever just happened, Huang Jin must have done it for a reason. He waited for Huang Jin to surface, his heart pounding with both concern and curiosity.

Hunag Jin glanced back at Xun Wei and meditated. Huang Jin could feel the energy of the rock spinning around his body.

Xun Wei saw that Huang Jin swallowed the stone, so he didn't disturb him anymore.

Xun Wei swam again and checked the stones scattered all over the cave. Every rock he touched, he could feel something traveling through his body, but he didn't think it would harm him.

Xun Wei didn't pay much attention to it. He remembered what Ahjin had said last night, that every stone inside the cave should be collected. Xun Wei was checking every corner of the cave, but he turned his head to check on Huang Jin and saw that he was still in the same position, meditating. So Xun Wei patiently waited for Huang Jin to finish his meditation.

Huang Jin opened his eyes, and for a moment, he saw a flash of rainbow light, but it quickly disappeared. He felt a sense of expansion in his dimensional space, and a smile bloomed on his face.

When he swallowed the stone, a part of his dimensional space had been blocked by a barrier, preventing him from seeing what lay beyond.

But now, the barrier was gone, and Huang Jin could fully perceive what was hidden from him before. The top of the tree that was once shrouded in fog was now bright and clear, and Huang Jin could see the overall appearance of the ancient tree.

Huang Jin was not entirely sure of the exact effects of the ancient tree on him, but he had a strong feeling that it would significantly enhance his powers as well as Xun Wei's. With the barriers removed in his dimensional space, he felt a newfound sense of freedom and power.

He could sense his energy levels rising, making him stronger than ever before. Now, he was confident that he could fully support and assist Xun Wei without any hindrance. The discovery of the ancient tree was proving to be a great boon to their abilities and their journey together.

But before that he still need to check the barrier below lake.

Huang Jin considered his options carefully. In his previous life, there was no body of water blocking the passageway, so they could easily see the entrance of the cave upon entering. However, this time, with the lake obstructing their view, he suspected that the passageway might be concealed beneath the water.

A brilliant idea struck him. Instead of swimming to check, he could use his power to block part of the lake and then transfer the water to his dimensional space.

With the lake's water diverted, they might be able to uncover the hidden passageway without having to swim.

"Let's clear the way. There's a passage below the water that leads to another place. No need to swim, I'll block the water and transfer it to my dimensional space, creating a pathway," Huang Jin explained excitedly, confident that his plan would work.

Xun Wei embraced Huang Jin, kissing his lips passionately until both of them were breathless. Seeing Huang Jin's misty and watery peach blossom eyes, Xun Wei felt content.

"That's great. No need to dive anymore," Xun Wei said with a satisfied smile.

With a wave of his hands, a stack of metal rods, each as thick as 10 inches (25.4 centimeters), materialized beside their feet. Using his wind power, he flung the metal rods into the middle of the lake, positioning them strategically to block the water. With the palm of his hand, he firmly secured each metal rod in place and then laid flat metal sheets to further prevent water flow.

Huang Jin ensured that the metal barriers were firmly in place before he began moving the lake water into his dimensional space. Once the water was no longer inside the metal enclosure, he stopped and admired his handiwork.

"Well, I'm so smart. Praise me" Huang Jin suddenly pounced on Xun Wei and hugged him tightly.

"My Ahjin is so smart, what reward do you want? Hmm?"

Xun Wei chuckled as he embraced Huang Jin back.

He kissed Huang Jin's forehead affectionately, showing his admiration and love.